Review: The Silver Star

Posted by Cathie on Friday, August 30, 2013. Filed under: , , , ,
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The Silver Star by Jeanette Walls
Published by: Scribner
Our source: Complimentary copy from the publisher

What it’s about (from Goodreads):

It is 1970 in a small town in California. “Bean” Holladay is twelve and her sister, Liz, is fifteen when their artistic mother, Charlotte, a woman who “found something wrong with every place she ever lived,” takes off to find herself, leaving her girls enough money to last a month or two. When Bean returns from school one day and sees a police car outside the house, she and Liz decide to take the bus to Virginia, where their Uncle Tinsley lives in the decaying mansion that’s been in Charlotte’s family for generations.

An impetuous optimist, Bean soon discovers who her father was, and hears many stories about why their mother left Virginia in the first place. Because money is tight, Liz and Bean start babysitting and doing office work for Jerry Maddox, foreman of the mill in town—a big man who bullies his workers, his tenants, his children, and his wife. Bean adores her whip-smart older sister—inventor of word games, reader of Edgar Allan Poe, nonconformist. But when school starts in the fall, it’s Bean who easily adjusts and makes friends, and Liz who becomes increasingly withdrawn. And then something happens to Liz.

Our thoughts:

This is another great book by Jeannette Walls. I thoroughly enjoyed her previous novels, The Glass Castle and Half Broke Horses, and The Silver Star does not disappoint.

This is a compelling story of two young sisters who are neglected by their Mother. Without adult supervision and being young and naive, they become victims of abuse and experience first hand how unfair our justice system can be.

This is a wonderful look at the resiliency of spirit and how families, no matter how dysfunctional they may seem, can pull together in times of crisis. I loved this story and  I think every family needs an Uncle Clarence.

We would recommend this to:

Fiction fans, people who like stories about families, fans of coming-of-age stories

Review: The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Posted by Kate on Wednesday, August 28, 2013. Filed under: , , , ,
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The Ocean at the End of the Lane  by Neil Gaiman
Published by: William Morrow Books
Our source: the local library

What it’s about (from Goodreads):
 
Sussex, England. A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy.

Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie—magical, comforting, wise beyond her years—promised to protect him, no matter what.
 
Our thoughts:
 
This is a fantastic story. The setting and characters are so vivid that it feels like you're completely immersed in it. And by the time the fantasy elements are introduced, they feel perfectly real. The writing was beautiful.
There's a lot of emotions in this book. There are some scary things, too, but not overly scary. Really, I felt like it was the perfect balance of everything: fantasy, reality, scariness, tameness, emotions, friendship, family.
It's just a great read. Also, the audiobook is narrated by Gaiman himself, so it's fantastic too!
 
We would recommend this to:
 
Fans of fantasy, those who want something a little out there without being overly creepy, anyone looking for a good Halloween read, anyone who just wants a great story to read

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Secondary Characters

Posted by Unknown on Tuesday, August 27, 2013. Filed under:
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This week's Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, is favorite secondary characters.

The first character I thought of when I started brainstorming the list was Tiny Cooper from Will Grayson, Will Grayson. Just because he's such a fabulous, fun character. Also amusing is Miss Havisham from Great Expectations.

Parents and parent-figures dominate the rest of my list. Mrs. Weasley from Harry Potter is probably my favorite literary parent ever. She's just a kick-ass Mom. Also kick-ass are Lola's Dads from from Lola and the Boy Next Door. While many YA books seem to ignore parents, Lola's Dads seem ever-present and a great, realistic pair of parents to a teenager. Another great parent from a YA book is Vera's Dad from Please Ignore Vera Dietz. Really, Vera's whole family is great, but her Dad's flow charts really added to the book for me!

Sister Evangeline from The Patron Saint of Liars and Joette from Finding Noel weren't parents, but their mothering presence added to both stories immensely. Uncle Eddie from Alice Bliss was another of these constant, steady presences that just seems comforting to the reader. (And, he reminded me of my brother which amused me to no end.)

Another character I found fascinating was Death from The Book Thief. I'm not sure if he really counts as a secondary character, as he was the narrator, but since he was a minor character in the actual story, I'm throwing him in. He was just such a different voice - seemingly gentle and brutal at the same time - that I couldn't not give him a nod on this list.

And on a completely fun note, I loved Bubba from the Sookie Stackhouse series. His presence is a hilarious tidbit in the story and he was a character I always looked forward to popping up in the story.

Who are your favorite secondary characters?

In My Mailbox - August 25

Posted by Unknown on Sunday, August 25, 2013. Filed under:
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In My Mailbox is a weekly meme started by The Story Siren where book bloggers share the new books they got during the week. And since we got some new books this year, we wanted to share!


The very nice people at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt sent over a few ARCs of books we were interested in but didn't have any copies available at BEA. The package included:

Hitler's Furies by Wendy Lower - Non-fiction about women in Nazi Germany. Of all the books that were in the BEA preview materials, this is the one I was most interested in so I'm super excited to get my hands on it!

The Lion Seeker by Kenneth Bonert - This one is being promoted heavily to book clubs so I'm interested in seeing if it's something my book club would like. It's about growing up in South Africa during the Great Depression.

Want Not by Johnathan Miles - Another non-fiction, this one about human access and fulfillment. It sounds fascinating.

The Ludwig Conspiracy by Oliver Putzsch - This was described as a Da Vinci Code-esque story that's also heavy on the historical fiction. It sounds awesome!

I'm really excited about all of these!

Review: The Queen's Gambit

Posted by Cathie on Saturday, August 24, 2013. Filed under: , , , ,
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Queen’s Gambit by Elizabeth Fremantle
Published by: Simon & Schuster
Our source: ARC courtesy of the publisher

What it’s about (from Goodreads):

Katherine Parr, widowed for the second time aged thirty-one, is obliged to return to court but, suspicious of the ageing king and those who surround him, she does so with reluctance. Nevertheless, when she finds herself caught up in a passionate affair with the dashing and seductive Thomas Seymour, she believes she might finally be able to marry for love. But her presence at court has attracted the attentions of another…

Captivated by her honesty and intelligence, Henry Tudor has his own plans for Katherine and no one is in the position to refuse a proposal from the king. So with her charismatic lover dispatched to the continent, Katherine must accept the hand of the ailing egotistical monarch and become Henry's sixth wife - and yet she has still not quite given up on love.

Our thoughts:

Queen's Gambit is a romance novel steeped in history. As a child, I always envisioned that being the queen meant that you had lots of power, authority and respect. Queen's Gambit showed me that that wasn't necessarily the case.

Set in the 1500's, the story is told from the perspective of Katherine and her servant girl, Dot. King Henry VIII chooses Katherine to be his sixth wife. Knowing the King's previous wives have been either executed, had their marriages annulled, or died in childbirth, Katherine is nervous as to what her fate will be. Complicating matters even more is the fact that Katherine has fallen in love with Thomas Seymour.

This story was full of romance and politics from this very historical period in English history. Queen's Gambit is beautifully written and I very much enjoyed Elizabeth Fremantle's exciting tale.

We would recommend this to:

Fans of historical fiction

Review: Burial Rites

Posted by Cathie on Thursday, August 22, 2013. Filed under: , , , , ,
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Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
Published by: Little, Brown & Company
Our source: ARC courtesy of the publisher

What it’s about (from Goodreads):

Set against Iceland's stark landscape, Hannah Kent brings to vivid life the story of Agnes, who, charged with the brutal murder of her former master, is sent to an isolated farm to await execution.

Horrified at the prospect of housing a convicted murderer, the family at first avoids Agnes. Only Tóti, a priest Agnes has mysteriously chosen to be her spiritual guardian, seeks to understand her. But as Agnes's death looms, the farmer's wife and their daughters learn there is another side to the sensational story they've heard.

Our thoughts:

I thought this book was fabulous. It is so well written. Usually, I am in a hurry to finish a book to find out how it is going to end but that was not the case with Burial Rites. Hannah Kent has such a wonderful style of writing that I found myself wanting to linger and re-read many part just to ponder how she had phrased things.

This is Hannah Kent's first novel and I believe that she aced it.  She is a very talented writer and I definitely will keep my eyes open for more of her works.

We would recommend this to:

Fans of mystery and historical fiction

Waiting on Wednesday: Alienated

Posted by Unknown on Wednesday, August 21, 2013. Filed under:
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"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

 Here's what we're waiting on this week: 

Alienated by Melissa Landers
Release date: February 4, 2013

I'm a huge fan of Melissa Landers's Sultry Springs series (written under the name Macy Beckett). The writing is fantastic and you can't help but love her characters and the small town in Texas she's created. 

Alienated, her YA debut,  is a bit different, though: the main character is playing host to the first exchange student from another planet. YA sci-fi? Totally up my ally. Add in some romance? I'm in 100%. 

The basis of this book, combined with Landers's great writing and awesome characters makes me so, so excited. I can't wait to check this out. I'm sure it's going to be amazing!

Review: Close My Eyes

Posted by Kate on Monday, August 19, 2013. Filed under: , , , , , , ,
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Close My Eyes by Sophie McKenzie
Published by: St. Martin’s Press
Our source: Audiobook from the local library

What it’s about (from Goodreads):

When Geniver Loxley lost her daughter at birth eight years ago, her world stopped… and never fully started again. Mothers with strollers still make her flinch; her love of writing has turned into a half-hearted teaching career; and she and her husband, Art, have slipped into the kind of rut that seems inescapable.

But then a stranger shows up on their doorstep, telling Gen the very thing she’s always wanted to hear: that her daughter Beth was not stillborn, but was taken away as a healthy infant and is still out there, somewhere, waiting to be found. It’s insane, unbelievable. But why would anyone make that up? A fissure suddenly opens up in Gen’s carefully reconstructed life, letting in a flood of unanswerable questions. Where is Beth now? Why is Art so reluctant to get involved? To save his wife from further hurt? Or is it something more sinister? And who can she trust to help her?

Our thoughts:

This was sort of billed as the next Gone Girl. I don’t really think they should be compared. This had the same screwed-up character quality as Gone Girl, but I feel like it lacked the thoughtfulness of Gone Girl. At times, it felt shocking just for the sake of being shocking.

The main character came across as whiney and annoying and the other characters were never developed beyond stock stereotypes. Also, the love story that was thrown in seemed so out of place that it was jarring.

I had a really hard time getting into this and think that if I hadn’t been listening to it in the background while I worked, I probably would have given up on it.

We would recommend this to:


Fans of mystery/suspense, those who like twisted stories.

Our Book Expo America Recap + Win a Power Reader Gift Bag

Posted by Unknown on Saturday, August 17, 2013. Filed under: ,
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Book Expo America is the annual industry event for the publishing industry and for the last two years they’ve opened the last day of the conference to “Power Readers” – aka, the general public. And, since we consider ourselves power readers, we had to go.


BEA is held at the Javits Center in NYC at the end of May/beginning of June. We got there before things opened for the day and were greeted by huge banners touting books coming soon. We checked in, got our badges and gift bags and were soon on the show floor, checking things out.


 The thing about BEA is that you can’t see everything – it’s impossible. There is so much going on that unless you can clone yourself, you have to pick and choose. We decided we could see more if we split up, so we all tackled some different things.



Kate went to hear Neil Gaiman speak. Laura loaded up on horror books. Cathie got on line to meet Ransom Riggs. We kept meeting up throughout the day and excitedly exchanging stories – all having our, “I wish I had been there!” moments. We also all hit tons of signings – both in the booths and in the autographing area.


Another thing about BEA: everywhere you turn, someone wants to hand you a book. It’s seriously a reader’s paradise. There are tons of complimentary copies of both published and to-be-published books everywhere, coupled with people happy to talk them up. Even on our best behavior, we ended up with more books than we could carry.


 One event Kate signed up for was particularly generous with the books – Book Club Speed Dating. The purpose of the event was to meet with publishers and hear about upcoming fall releases that would be good for book clubs. When you walked in, the tables were all stacked with copies of books and you could help yourself to any you wanted. It was seriously like the book lover’s version of trick-or-treating.


Things weren't all serious, though. We had fun playing at some of the booths and taking pictures with the different backdrops set up. There was also some Star Wars events going on, costumed characters and Laura got a particularly fantastic dog balloon to tail along behind her.



By the time we got home we were happy, tired – and had acquired more than 100 books between the three of us. And we’re excited to read all of them. Some of the reviews you’ve already seen on the blog – the others will be posted in the coming months, as we make our way through the pile.



We’re also excited to share the wealth!

The first 1000 Power Readers got a special gift bag at registration, full of books courtesy of MacMillan Publishers – and we’re giving one to a Relatively Bookish reader! The gift pack includes: a hardcover copy of The Nightmare by Lars Kepler, an advance copy of Havisham by Ronald Flame, a paperback copy of Jana Bibi’s Excellent Fortunes by Betsy Woodsman, a paperback copy of The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, an audiobook copy of Lincoln’s Last Days by Bill O’Reilly and promotional postcards for Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York.

Want to win? Just enter below! Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Daddy's Gone A Hunting

Posted by Cathie on Thursday, August 15, 2013. Filed under: , , ,
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Daddy's Gone A Hunting by Mary Higgins Clark
Published by: Simon & Schuster
Our source: Complimentary copy from the publisher

What it’s about (from Goodreads):

When the family-owned furniture firm, including the mansion where priceless antiques are kept, explodes into flames in the middle of the night, Kate must escape to save her life. But the suspicious circumstances point to her involvement. Was the explosion set deliberately? Why was Kate, a gorgeous CPA for one of the biggest accounting firms in the country, on the premises at that hour? And why was Gus, a retired and trusted employee, with her?

Now Gus is dead and Kate lies in the hospital gravely injured. Hannah, Kate’s sister and a rising fashion designer, must discover what drew them there and what dangerous secrets lies hidden in the ashes.

Our thoughts:

I had the pleasure of meeting Mary Higgins Clark at a book signing at Book Expo America, and what a pleasure it was. She is beautiful, sophisticated and sincere. After many years of reading her books, it was a high point for me to finally be meeting her. It's too bad there was a long line of other people also wishing for their moment with her because she is definitely someone I would love to sit and chat with over a cup of tea.

I hurried home to read her book, Daddy's Gone A Hunting, and thought it was marvelous. An explosion at the Connelly family owned furniture company left the buildings destroyed, a disgruntled employee dead and Kate Connelly in a coma - all of the makings for a mystery which Mary Higgins Clark elegantly weaves. Packed with mystery and suspense, this story keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end.  

We would recommend this to:

Mystery fans

Waiting on Wednesday: Eat Drink Vote: An Illustrated Guide to Food Politics

Posted by Unknown on Wednesday, August 14, 2013. Filed under:
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"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


Here's what we're waiting on this week:

Eat Drink Vote: An Illustrated Guide to Food Politics by Marion Nestle
Publication date: September 3, 2013

We grabbed a preview of this book at BEA in June which included the introduction and first chapter. I finally got around to reading it on my lunch hour yesterday and it was really entertaining. I'm into food politics anyway - I think the ways the government influences our diet is fascinating - but the use of political cartoons to illustrate the points is particularly fun.

I can't wait to get my hands on the full version when it comes out next month!

Review: Once We Were Brothers

Posted by Cathie on Thursday, August 8, 2013. Filed under: , , , , ,
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Once We Were Brothers by Ronald H. Balson
Published by: Berwick Court Publishing Co.
Our source: Our local library

What it’s about (from Goodreads):

From Nazi-occupied Poland to a Chicago courtroom, Elliot Rosenzweig, a respected civic leader and wealthy philanthropist, is attending a fundraiser when he is suddenly accosted and accused of being a former Nazi SS officer named Otto Piatek. Although the charges are denounced as preposterous, his accuser, Ben Solomon, is convinced he is right. Solomon urges attorney Catherine Lockhart to take his case, revealing that Otto Piatek was abandoned as a child and raised by Solomon's family only to betray them during the Nazi occupation. But has he accused the right man? 

Our thoughts:

I find reading almost anything about World War II very hard to do. Not only because I am of German heritage, but because of the atrocities that took place during the Nazi occupation. Man's inhumanity to Man is one of the harshest issues to grasp, and even worse when it involves one family member against another.

That is exactly what happens in Once We Were Brothers. Ben Solomon is certain that a politician by the name of Elliot Rosenzweig is really a Nazi SS officer named Otto Piatek. Ben is an elderly gentleman who has recently lost his wife and it is questionable throughout the book as to whether Ben's story is credible or if he is just imagining things in his old age.

The story is told from the perspective of Ben explaining to his attorney, Catherine Lockhart, why he is positive that this person really is his "brother" Otto Piatek. Most of the story is focused around Ben telling his story and then the last few chapters deal with seeing if they can find enough evidence to present their case.  While the idea of the story is good and it did invoke some very strong feelings in me, I felt that it dragged on too long and I was almost relieved to have it finally end.

We would recommend this to:

WWII enthusiests, fans of historical fiction

Review: Surrender to Sultry

Posted by Kate on Tuesday, August 6, 2013. Filed under: , , , ,
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Surrender to Sultry  by Macy Beckett
Published by: Sourcebooks Casablanca

What it’s about (from Goodreads):

Leah McMahon is back in Sultry Springs, Texas to help her dad recover from surgery. But there's a new sheriff in town and he's none other than Colton Bea, the wild-as-weeds boy who stole her heart a decade earlier. Colt's a changed man now, and the feelings between these high school sweethearts are stronger than ever. But Leah's got a secret so devastating that he may never forgive her. Can she find a way to earn absolution and build a future with the sultry man she's loved half her life?

Our thoughts:
 
I loved this! It was equal parts sweet and sexy and fun. Even though my experience with Texas is limited to a one-weekend trip, I get totally sucked into the atmosphere and drama of small-town Sultry Springs and I love every minute of it.
 
I'm a sucker for love stories - and this one is awesome. Beckett mixes in just enough fairytale to make it totally believable and totally swoon-worthy at the same time.
 
This is the third in the series, but you don't have to read the other two to appreciate this one. Each of the three focuses on a different couple and a different love story. (Although if you do read them in order, you get the benefit of revisiting the characters to find out where they are in life.)
 
We would recommend this to:
Romance fans, people who grew up in a small town, people who believe in second chances, and anyone looking for a great beach read.

Review: The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone – Especially Ourselves

Posted by Kate on Thursday, August 1, 2013. Filed under: , , , , ,
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The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone – Especially Ourselves
by Dan Ariely
Published by: Harper
Our source: Purchased from Audible

What it’s about (from Goodreads):

Does the chance of getting caught affect how likely we are to cheat? How do companies pave the way for dishonesty? Does collaboration make us more honest or less so? Does religion improve our honesty? Most of us think of ourselves as honest, but, in fact, we all cheat. From Washington to Wall Street, the classroom to the workplace, unethical behavior is everywhere.  None of us is immune, whether it's the white lie to head off trouble or padding our expense reports. 

In The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty, Ariely shows why some things are easier to lie about; how getting caught matters less than we think; and how business practices pave the way for unethical behavior, both intentionally and unintentionally. Ariely explores how unethical behavior works in the personal, professional, and political worlds, and how it affects all of us, even as we think of ourselves as having high moral standards.

Our thoughts:

I got hooked on Ariely’s take on the human irrationality during his appearances on NPR. He was always so funny and entertaining that when I ran across his first book on audiobook, I snapped it up immediately.  His books are actually narrated by Simon Jones – not himself – which through me at first because I was expecting the voice from the radio, but Jones is fantastic.

Like all of Ariely’s other books, I really, really enjoyed this one. His humor and fun spirit come through even when he is not the narrator and makes what could be a dry topic – behavioral economics – thoroughly enjoyable.  I did feel like he rehashed a bunch of experiments from his earlier books here, but there was enough new content to keep me interested.

We would recommend this to:

Anyone in business, people who like to people watch and non-fiction fans.

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